Original artwork description:

This oil painting is full of fascination and eerie beauty, but it's also clear in conveying the emotions and mood of the artist based on Goethe's poem "Erlkönig." In this painting, we see a close-up of a father riding on the back of a black horse under the dark sky of a forest.

The father, looking exhausted, tightly holds his child. The child seems to have little life left in them. He is determined to journey through the forest, focusing on protecting his child from the harm of Erlkönig.

The Erlking, not clearly defined in form, drifts in the air, creating a mysterious and eerie presence. He hides in the darkness, always lurking after the father and the child. There is a sense that he is waiting for the right moment to seize the child and bring them into the supernatural world of the forest.

Beneath the ground, we see the princesses as fleeting images, evoking a sense of distance and helplessness. They are symbols of the contrast between the human world and the supernatural world, where Erlkönig holds dominion.

The faces of the characters are not distinctly described, but through their posture and emotions, we can sense the tension and desperation in the painting. This painting conveys a sense of the struggle between humans and the mystical power of nature, and the father's loss in protecting his child from the temptation of Erlkönig.

Materials used:

Oil on Canvas

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